m 



3n Jlemoriam 



ADDRESSES DELIVERED 

AT THE UNVEILING OF 

A MONUMENT TO THE 

MEMORY OF 

Cbtoartr Pagtjp 



AT BRUINGTON CHURCH 
KING & QUEEN COUNTY, VA. 



BY 



Hon. Henry R. Pollard 



AND OTHERS 



AUGUST 8, 1912 



ADDRESSES 

Delivered at the Unveiling of a Monument 
to the Memory of 

Edward Bagby 

AT 

Bruington Church, Kmg & Queen County, Virginia 
Augusts, 191 2 



BY 

HON. HENRY R. POLLARD 

AND OTHERS 



Everett Waddey Company 
Richmond, Va. 






A. - 



jForetootb 



In bringing together these addresses for publica- 
tion, it is hoped that their perusal by those not pres- 
ent may serve to extend the impression made at the 
time of their delivery, and that their possession by 
those who heard them may deepen their influence 
upon the memory. 

This gathering at Bruington marked an interesting 
epoch in the life of a unique and cultured community. 
It was the third assemblage of somewhat similar char- 
acter that had been held at that place. The first — 
just after the close of the War — is touchingly referred 
to by Mr. Pollard in his address; the second was the 
"Reunion of Company K," in the summer of 1886. It 
was at first intended that these exercises should be 
held on July 30th, the anniversary of the battle of the 
Crater and of the death of Edward Bagby, whose 
consecration to duty and courage in conflict on that 
eventful day furnished the chief motive for so rare an 
assembly. Unavoidable circumstances deferred the 
appointed time till August 8th, a day which all who 
were present will remember with abiding interest. 

It may be asked, why, after forty-eight years, should 
recognition be made of one who, at the age of twenty- 

[ ;'' ] 



two, gave his life upon the field of battle for a lost 
cause. The reply is that there is a cause that is never 
lost ; and that is, where character is consecrated to 
unselfish service; where a high soul lays down his 
life on the altar of duty. It was felt that the career 
of Edward Bagby was one that should inspire the 
youth of Virginia and of the land to high ideals, and 
should serve to indite upon men's hearts afresh the 
fact that 

"We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; 
In feelings, not in figures on a dial. He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best." 

EDWARD B. POLLARD. 
Crozer Theological Seminary, Chester, Pa. 



[ 4 ] 



iWemorial Ceremonieji 

About one thousand people gathered at the Bruing- 
ton meeting house. At the morning hour a sermon 
had been preached, under the auspices of the Woman's 
Missionary Society of the church, by Rev. Professor 
Edward Bagby Pollard, nephew and namesake of him 
in whose honor the memorial services had been ap= 
pointed. After recess and a bountiful dinner, the peo- 
ple reassembled. Mr. Albert G. Gresham, of the local 
committee (which consisted of A. G. Gresham, Wm. F. 
Bagby and C. B. Jones), called the meeting to order. 
The assembly arose as about thirty veterans of the 
Civil War filed in and were given seats of honor. 
After prayer by Rev. Mr. Jones, pastor of Bruington 
Church, Mr. Gresham spoke as follows: 

Sntrobuction of Pregibing ^llittv bp ^r. ^Ifreb 

King and Queen people are proud of the old county 
and grateful for the record she has made in peace and 
in war. Statistics show our criminal expenses are 
less and a larger percentage of our population evangel- 
ized than in any county in Virginia. 

When the finger of disparagement is pointed at us, 
[ 5 ] 



and we are asked on account of our poverty what we 
raise besides broomsedge and pine bushes, we point 
with pride to her sons and her daughters. 

We meet this afternoon to honor the memory of 
one of her noble sons. It is my privilege to introduce 
to you another, Mr. Alfred Bagby, Jr., of Baltimore, 
as presiding officer of the day. 



^bbregg of fflr. ^Ifreb IBagbp, ^t, 

Mr. Bagby : I think I can speak for all of those who, 
after some years of residence in other communities, 
have come home for this occasion, in saying that we 
are delighted to be in the old county again and to 
mingle once more with so many of our friends and 
relatives. For, after experience of the world in many 
other places, we have learned the practical truths that 
"old friends are the best," and that nowhere else are 
to be found in the same proportion as here those "kind 
hearts" which "are more than coronets," and that 
"simple faith" which is "more than Norman blood." 
We cling to nothing more fondly than to the hope that 
when we shall come to "cross over the river" it may 
be found that our lives rang true to the best sentiments 
and traditions of King and Queen. 

The Committee has asked me to say something in 
explanation of the movement for the erection of the 
monument which has drawn us together today. 

[ « 1 



It has been eloquently said that "a land without 
memory is a land without hope," and if this applies to 
countries, it must apply to families as well. For a 
number of years it has been felt by those who knew 
the life and character of the man whose memory we 
meet to honor, that it should be memorialized, and 
about a year ago the thought took hold of some of us 
that it would be not only a privilege, but a pious duty 
as well, that the Bagby family express in some concrete 
and visible form the respect and admiration for what 
he was and what he did. This led to the careful plan- 
ning and systematic effort, extending over about one 
year, which made this occasion possible. 

Every life which is well and nobly lived ought to 
be adequately recognized by some fitting memorial. 
That this be done is not only in itself right, but oper- 
ates as an incentive to others. 

Many of you know that Edward Bagby was killed 
at Petersburg the day the Crater mine was sprung. 
It was a time which tried men's souls, and the man 
who was brave that day was truly a brave man. Fol- 
lowing the explosion a determined attempt was made 
to break through the Confederate lines. A battery of 
artillery had been run out into an exposed position in 
a field, and when no gunners were left to man it, 
Edward Bagby volunteered to work one of the guns 
and lost his life in the successful effort to repel the 
attack. 

The movement to memorialize his heroism and his 

[ ^ ] 



character brought our attention also to the fact that 
no adequate tangible recognition has ever been made 
of Edward Bagby's father, John Bagby, and of the 
latter's two wives, Elizabeth Courtney and Elizabeth 
Lumpkin, and that this could be appropriately done 
through an inscription on the reverse side of the same 
monument. 

The erection of this monument is not due to family 
sentiment alone. These men and women deserved to 
be honored because of their characters and deeds. 
John Bagby was a "Christian merchant, a patriotic 
citizen, a friend of education." His enterprise is shown 
by the facts that he maintained vessels in trade be- 
tween the Mattaponi river and the West Indies, and 
that he was accustomed to drive all over this and 
adjoining counties buying up grain in anticipation of 
rises in the market. Having little education except 
what he acquired in the school of experience, he gave 
liberal educations to all of his five sons, and the best 
attainable to his daughters. When the great war, 
which shook this country as in a continuous convul- 
sion for four years, came, he gave his youngest and 
probably best loved son to his country, and he poured 
his means into her treasury. After his decease more 
than $130,000.00 of Confederate bonds were found in 
his secretary. Both of his wives were noble women. 

Although but twenty-two years old when the final 
scene came, Edward Bagby appears to have already 
developed into one of nature's noblemen. He was not 

[ « 1 



only a steadfast, courageous, enterprising and efficient 
soldier, but a man of gentlemanly instincts, discretion 
and self-control. On October lo, 191 1, Mr. James E. 
Byrd, a successful business man of Baltimore, who 
saw much of him during the war, wrote, "I take pleas- 
ure in sending you my check, my contribution towards 
the memorial to Edward Bagby. Edward Bagby was 
always kind and considerate to me, a friendless 
stranger, while I was with the King and Queen Com- 
pany, and even after a lapse of forty-eight years I 
have not forgotten it, and the impression he made on 
a somewhat thoughtless and impulsive youth, that he 
was a high-toned gentleman in every respect." In 
personal conversation, Mr. Byrd said to me about the 
same time, "I knew all of the war=time Bagbys, and 
Edward was the best of them all." 

Rev. Dr. Richard B. Cook, of Wilmington, Del., who 
was his classmate at Columbian College, told me re- 
cently of an incident which has not been effaced from 
memory by all of the intervening years. He said that 
near the beginning of the war the college was under 
grave suspicion by the Federal authorities while 
Washington City was swarming with Federal troops. 
Under these circumstances some of the students 
formed a plan to raise a Confederate flag on the top 
of the college building. Edward Bagby, though ar- 
dent in his Southern sympathies, remonstrated with 
them, pointing out the folly of such an act and the 
probable serious destruction of property which would 

[ 9 ] 



follow and the possible loss of life. However, the flag 
was raised and then young Bagby went to President 
Sampson, informed him of the situation, and went 
with him when he removed the flag. Anyone who 
knows conditions of college life can appreciate what 
that act meant. Dr. Cook tells me also that there was 
a struggling mission Sunday School in Washington 
and that one after another of those who had been 
asked to be the superintendent had declined, until 
Edward Bagby undertook the task and remained at 
his post until he heard and heeded his country's call 
to arms. 

And just as he was faithful to that Sunday School 
to the end, so he was steadfast in the army — even unto 
death. In a letter written to his sister July g, 1864, 
three weeks before his death, he says, "It is really a 
luxury to enjoy a good shade, good water, or even a 
sprinkling rain. What would I give for a few hours 
of quietude and rest? I have not missed a day's duty 
since I have been with the regiment. I have kept up 
under weakness, etc., but am feeling well today. How 
very thankful I ought to be. Although I get no 
thanks for performing duty now, freedom hereafter 
will be more than ample reward." 

We wish to extend the most cordial welcome to 
every one of the comrades of Edward Bagby in the 
Confederate Army who are present today. These men 
deserve our sincere admiration and respect. They gave 

r i<^ 1 



some of the very best years of their lives to the Con- 
federate cause ; and they "fought a good fight." 

We shall now listen to the main address of the af- 
ternoon to be made by Hon. Henry R. Pollard, of 
Richmond, who will never need an introduction to a 
King and Queen audience. 



[ 11 ] 



gtbtiregs of ^on. ^enrp E. ^oUarb 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

I greet you all as lovers, friends and countrymen of 
Edward Bagby, whose memory we are here assembled 
to honor and perpetuate. Nearly a half century has 
elapsed since he offered up his young life upon the 
altar of his country, but for once old Time is to be 
vanquished and his hand stayed from effacing the 
sweet memories of the beautiful life and character of 
a noble young man. 

To interpret the life and rightly estimate the char- 
acter of the dead, we must know the habits and ideals 
of the generation to which he belonged. 

The two decades immediately preceding the Civil 
War were the most happy and prosperous years that 
the people of this, my native county, had ever seen. 

Educational advantages equal to any in the Com- 
monwealth were enjoyed by our people. Following 
in the lead of Donald Robertson's Academy, located 
near Newtown, at which President James Madison 
received his early training, male academies of high 
grade were maintained and liberally patronized. At 
Fleetwood, at Stevensville, and at Centerville, the 
youths of the county were prepared for professional 
pursuits and for the prosecution of advanced studies 
[ 13 ] 



in colleges and universities; while several high grade 
schools afforded equal advantages to young women, 
one of which was "Croton Female College," a char- 
tered institution, located near Mattaponi Church, and 
presided over by that highly cultured woman, Maria 
L. C. Lewis, the wife of Dr. Zachary Iverson Lewis, 
and a sister of Judge John B. Clopton, one of the 
ablest jurists of his day. 

Agricultural pursuits, the chief, if not the only in- 
dustry of the people, afforded a liberal support for the 
land owners. During the last of these decades the 
price of grain was so advanced by foreign demand, 
largely caused by the Crimean War, and the produc- 
tion of wheat so increased by the introduction and use 
of Peruvian guano, that farming became profitable. 
At convenient centres, large and well stocked mercan- 
tile establishments were maintained by trained, ac- 
complished and accommodating merchants, some of 
whom operated their own sailing vessels, by which 
they shipped grain purchased of the producers, and on 
return ships brought large stocks of merchandise from 
Baltimore and New York. 

Two semi-weekly lines of steamers navigated the 
Mattaponi River; one, the steamer "Monmouth," 
plied between King and Queen Court House and Bal- 
timore, and the other, the "Sea Bird," between Walk= 
erton and Norfolk. Two semi-weekly lines of real 
stage coaches, each drawn by four spirited horses, 
connected the central and upper half of the county 
[ 13 ] 



with Richmond, while the lower end of the county had 
access to that city by the York River Railroad, then 
but recently completed. 

I think it may safely be said that in no county of 
the State were moral standards higher or religious in- 
fluences more pervading. Born and reared under such 
benign influences, the sons of this old county adored 
the land of their nativity. Of her they would lovingly 
say: 

"There is a land, of every land the pride, 
Beloved of Heaven o'er every land beside; 
There is a spot on earth supremely blessed, 
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest." 

Into one of the most favored homes of the county 
during that period, Edward Bagby was born, on the 
26th day of January, 1842. His father, John Bagby, 
a veteran of the war of 181 2, was the great grandson 
of Thomas Bagby, the immigrant, who settled at 
Jamestown in 1628, and ancestor of many distin- 
guished men of his name, among them United States 
Senator from and Governor of Alabama, and Confed- 
erate General Bagby of Texas. Edward was the 
youngest but one of a family of twelve children. 

John Bagby was twice married. Of his first mar- 
riage with Elizabeth Courtney, a daughter of Capt. 
Robt. Courtney, a veteran of the war of 1812, there 
were the following children: Emeline, who married 
Benj. P. Cook; Richard Hugh, an able and honored 
Baptist minister; Priscilla, who married Joseph Ry- 
[ 14 J 



land; Alfred, who was graduated from Princeton and 
became a distinguished Baptist minister and historian 
of his county; John Robert, the colonel of the King 
and Queen militia, who attained the rank of major in 
the Confederate Army; Hannah Elizabeth, who mar- 
ried John N. Gresham; Martha Hill, who married 
Benoni Carlton; Mary Ellen, who married Albert 
Gresham, and George Franklin, a graduate of Colum- 
bian College and a distinguished Baptist minister ; and 
of his last marriage with Mrs. Elizabeth Motley, a 
widow, who before her marriage was Elizabeth Lump- 
kin, in her early days noted for her beauty and in 
mature womanhood and old age dignified and queenly 
in her bearing, there were three children, Virginia, 
who married the Rev. John Pollard, D, D., Edward 
and Susan Etta. 

Edward early gave evidence of superior qualities 
of head and heart, which added to the incident of his 
being the son of the old age of his parents, made him 
to them a veritable Joseph, while he endeared himself 
to others by a personality which I have never seen 
excelled for its individuality; exemplified in manli- 
ness without pomposity, meekness without servility, 
courage without recklessness, firmness without ob- 
stinacy. 

It goes without saying that one possessing such 

qualities was popular among his school fellows. While 

he loved his studies, he no less loved the athletic sports 

of the day. In the two principal games, "Chermany" 

[ 15 ] 



and "Bandy," he was among the first to be chosen for 
"his side." How I, then one of the small boys, envied 
the ease with which he knocked the ball from the 
home base "over the Oaks," or, when playing with 
the "outs," caught out an "in." 

When Edv/ard first entered Stevensville Academy, 
Wm. J. Berryman was its principal, but he soon gave 
place to Rev. Robert Williamson, an accomplished 
scholar, though not possessed with that degree of poise 
so essential to a teacher. 

When your speaker still later entered the Academy 
as a schoolmate of him whom we honor today, that 
prince among teachers, Josiah Ryland, was principal. 
There was then a tradition concerning Edward's early 
experience with his teacher, Mr. Williamson, which 
points a m^oral. It was told thus: All but two of a 
class had in their recitation shown themselves unpre- 
pared, and the teacher, according to a practice of the 
times (now more honored by its breach, than in its 
observance), proceeded at the foot of the class, where 
the worst prepared were always found, to apply the 
rod, and continued on towards the head of the class, 
and when he finally reached Edward, who stood first 
and who had made a perfect recitation, he met a 
modest but firm protest against what the pupil con- 
sidered an injustice; but the teacher heeded it not, 
dryly remarking to the young man that if he did not 
then need it, he would need it! 

With the coming of Josiah Ryland, Rev. Alfred 

[ I'i I 



Bagby and Josiah Ryland, Jr. (Pat Ryland), all highly 
cultured men, the school completely fulfilled its 
mission. 

Among Edward Bagby's schoolmates of that day, 
who became prominent, were Dr. John Bagby (son of 
Rev. Richard Hugh Bagby, D. D.), who died in the 
State of Arkansas about ten years ago, greatly la- 
mented by the community in which he was the beloved 
physician ; James Pollard, a prominent lawyer of the 
Baltimore bar; Thos. N. Walker, a leading lumber 
merchant in his day; Dr. Philip Gresham, of Texas; 
Hon. Walter Gresham, a member of Congress from 
the Galveston District, Texas; and Rev. John W. 
Hundley, D, D., a minister of the gospel, now of Mary- 
land, all of whom, but Walter Gresham and John W. 
Hundley, have passed over the river. To show how 
his schoolmates regard him, I beg to quote from a 
recent communication from the last named: "Ned 
Bagby was always my ideal of all that belonged to, or 
could be attained by, distinguished young manhood." 
This brief but beautiful testimony of Edward's school= 
mate recalls Mr. Gladstone's tribute to his school 
friend, Arthur Hallam: "Arthur Hallam's life at 
Eton was certainly a very happy life. He enjoyed 
work, he enjoyed study, and games, which he did not 
enjoy, he left aside. His temper was as sweet as his 
manners were winning; his conduct was without a 
spot or even a speck. He had no high, ungenial or 
exclusive airs, but heartily enjoyed and habitually con- 
[ 17 ] 



formed to the republican equality long and happily 
established in the life of our English public school." 

Completing his studies at Stevensville Academy, in 
the summer of 1859, Edward entered Columbian Col- 
lege, D. C, in the Sophomore Class in the fall of that 
year and there maintained the same characteristics of 
gentlemanly bearing and scholarly attainments, as the 
records of that institution (kindly furnished me) will 
show, until the Spring of 1861, when the young col- 
legian left those classic halls where he had opportunity 
to hear for months, as occasion offered, the great sec- 
tional debates in Congress. He came like the South's 
great Chieftain to his native State and to the people 
of his blood, "with as chaste a heart as ever plighted 
its faith until death, for better or for worse, to do, to 
suffer and to die for us, who today are gathered in 
awful reverence and in sorrow unspeakable to weep 
our blessing upon his tomb." 

He promptly volunteered as a member of the "King 
and Queen Artillery Company" and was soon mustered 
into the Confederate service, where he served continu- 
ously to the day of his death, July 30, 1864, without a 
day's absence on account of sickness, as he states in 
a letter addressed to his sister. Sue, under date of 
July 9, 1864. 

I can never forget the excitement and anxiety which 
prevailed during the weeks just preceding the de- 
parture of that company to the front. From every 
home a father, a son, a brother, and, in some cases, 

L 1'^ I 



more than one of these, was preparing to go ; nor can 
I forget the unfaltering courage of mothers, wives, 
sisters and sweethearts, who, like the Grecian matrons, 
submerged the grief and anxiety of the hour in the 
activities necessary to change a citizen into a soldier. 
These with one accord, without the help of the sew- 
ing machine (then not introduced) with cheerful in- 
dustry plied their scissors and needles to make 
uniforms for their loved ones. Churches, schoolhouses 
and private homes were converted into tailor shops. 
The day of the departure finally came and the whole 
community gathered to take part in appropriate fare- 
well exercises of a religious and social nature. With 
that Company of nearly a hundred men there went 
away the flower of a rural community, which was not 
surpassed in Virginia for its industry, intelligence and 
morality. I saw them as they marched away from 
Stevensville in May, 1861, the admiration of every 
beholder. 

Four years after, in the retreat from Petersburg to 
Appomattox, I saw the remnant of this same splendid 
company. These years of hardship in camp, in the 
trenches, on the march and on the battlefield had so 
decimated their ranks that less than twenty-five were 
in line, who, wearily and drearily, without the inspir- 
ing strains of martial music, but with the shadow of 
defeat rapidly deepening around their despairing 
hearts, fought their way from Petersburg to Appomat- 
tox. Their personal appearance was so changed as 
[ 19 ] 



that they were not to be easily recognized by their 
most intimate friends. And, may I say parenthetically, 
that this picture is only a pale reflection of what the 
scourge of war means. From it we may learn the 
truth of Victor Hugo's saying: "The sword is but a 
hideous flash in the darkness." 

It would be tedious to trace the monotonous life of 
the young soldier at Gloucester Point from May, 1861, 
to April, 1862; to tell of the forced march of his com- 
mand from Gloucester to the lines around Richmond; 
of the fearfully bloody battle of Seven Pines, where 
the company received its first awful baptism of fire; 
of the long and monotonous camp life at Chaffin's 
Farm, where the Company was assigned to duty as 
Company "K," 34th Virginia Infantry; of his par- 
ticipation in the South Carolina campaign of 1863-4; 
of his return to Virginia in the Spring of 1864 and the 
active co-operation of his Regiment in the Bermuda 
Hundred campaign, of which General Grant, in dis- 
gust, describing the ignominious defeat of General 
Butler, commander of the Army of the James, said: 
"He failed to shut the back door to Richmond and 
succeeded in having his army bottled up at Bermuda." 
Suffice it to be said that during all these years the 
young soldier bore himself with dignity, with courage 
and with honor. Though a private, and of youthful 
appearance, he so attracted the attention of his officers 
that he was detailed for special service as Aide-de- 
[ ^U J 



Camp to General Henry A. Wise, the commander of 
his brigade. 

The history of General Grant's campaign "by the 
left flank from the Rappahannock to the defenses 
around Petersburg" is too familiar to need any de- 
scription. The best equipped army ever marshaled 
on American soil crossed the Rappahannock on May 
3, 1864, with a total roll of 141,160 men fit for duty 
in the field. To meet this vast force Lee could muster 
barely more than 50,000 men. In the Southern His- 
torical Papers, Vol. VI, p. 144, there appears the fol- 
lowing statement: "Grant says he lost in the cam- 
paign from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor 39,000, but 
Swinton puts his loss as 60,000, and a careful exam- 
ination of the figures will show his real loss was 
nearer 100,000 men." 

From Cold Harbor (where his men stubbornly re- 
fused to go like dumb animals into the jaws of death) 
to the battle of the Crater, General Grant in his official 
reports shows a loss of 29,436 men, making a total 
loss, as admitted, of 68,436, just about one-half of the 
vast army which commenced the campaign. Such 
tremendous losses to the enemy meant of necessity 
irreparable losses to our army, even though General 
Lee had repelled practically every assault, and suc- 
ceeded in carrying a large majority of the aggressive 
movements made by him. 

In the light of such experiences, it was not surpris- 
ing that General Grant sought some other and differ- 
[ 21 ] 



ent means of assault than those ordinarily employed; 
so with the greatest care it was planned, as an im- 
portant adjunct to another general, and he believed, 
final assault upon the defenses of Petersburg, that a 
mine under our works should be excavated and sprung 
at the commencement of the attack. The excavation 
was commenced on June 25th and completed on July 
28th. The main gallery of the mine was 522 feet in 
length and the size of the galleries was 40 feet each. 
(Series I, Vol. II, Part I, War of Rebellion, pp. 136-7, 
556=63). 

On July 29th General Grant issued an order that 
this general assault should be made on the next day, 
leaving all of the details, including the springing of the 
mine, to Major-General Meade, and he on the same 
day issued "Instructions for the guidance of all con- 
cerned." Among these was the following : 

"8. At 3 130 in the morning of the 30th Major- 
General Burnside will spring his mine, and his as- 
saulting columns will immediately move rapidly upon 
the breach, seize the crest in the rear, and effect a 
lodgement there. '■'- '■'■ Upon the explosion of the 

mine the artillery of all kinds in battery will open 
upon those points of the enemy's works whose fire 
covers the ground over which our columns must 
move." (Idem, p. 136.) 

According to the report of the Court of Inquiry 
ordered by General Grant to determine the cause of 
the "miserable failure of Saturday," the mine was not 
[ 22 ] 



exploded until 4:45, just one hour and fifteen minutes 
after the appointed hour. In the report of Colonel 
Pleasants, of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, who 
planned the mine and superintended its construction 
and witnessed the explosion and its effect upon our 
lines, it is said : 

"I stood on top of our breast-works and witnessed 
the effect of the explosion on the enemy. It so com- 
pletely paralyzed them that the breach was practically 
400 or 500 yards in breadth. The rebels in the forts, 
both on the right and left of the explosion, left their 
works, and for over an hour not a shot was fired by 
their artillery. There was no fire from infantry from 
the front for at least half an hour ; none from the left 
for twenty minutes, and but few shots from the right." 

General Grant on the day of the explosion and after 
he had learned of its failure, but before he was aware 
of how disastrous the failure was, thus reported to 
General Halleck, Chief of Staff : 

"Having a mine prepared running for a distance of 
eighty feet along the enemy's parapet, and about 
twenty-two feet below the surface of the ground, ready 
loaded, and covered ways made near to his line, I was 
strongly in hopes, by this means of opening the way, 
the assault would prove successful. The mine was 
sprung a few minutes before five o'clock this morn- 
ing, throwing up four guns of the enemy and burying 
most of a South Carolina Regiment. Our men im- 
mediately took possession of the crater made by the 
explosion, and a considerable distance of the parapet 
[ 23 ] 



to the right of it, as well as a short work in front, and 
still hold them. The effort to carry the ridge beyend, 
and which would give us Petersburg and the south 
bank of the Appomattox, failed," 

And on the next day he reported: 

"City Point, Va., August i, 1864. 
"The loss in the disaster of Saturday last foots up 
about 3,500, of whom 450 men were killed and 2,000 
wounded. It was the saddest affair I have witnessed 
in the war. Such opportunity for carrying fortifica- 
tions I have never seen and do not expect again to 
have. The enemy with a line of works five miles long 
had been reduced by our previous movements to the 
north side of James River to a force of only three divi- 
sions. This line was undermined and blown up, carry- 
ing a battery and most of a regiment with it. The 
enemy were taken completely by surprise and did not 
recover from it for more than an hour. The crater and 
several hundred yards of the enemy's line to the right 
and left of it and a short detached line in front of the 
crater were occupied by our troops without opposi- 
tion. '^'- It was three hours from the time our 
troops first occupied their works before the enemy 
took possession of this crest." 

And to show the chagrin of the General at the result 
of the general assault which had been so carefully 
planned in all of its details, I quote from a dispatch 
sent General Meade on the same day: 
[ 24 1 



"City Point, Va., 9:30 A. M., August i, 1864. 
(Received 11:40 A. M.) 
"Major General Meade: 

"Have you any estimate of our losses in the miser- 
able failure of Saturday? I think there will have to be 
an investigation of the matter. So fair an opportunity 
will probably never occur again for carrying fortifica- 
tions. Preparations were good, orders ample, and 
everything, so far as I could see, subsequent to the ex= 
plosion of the mine, shows that almost without loss 
the crest beyond the mine could have been carried. 
This would have given us Petersburg with all its 
artillery and a large part of the garrison beyond doubt. 
An intercepted dispatch states that the enemy recap- 
tured their line with General Bartlett and staff, 75 
commissioned officers and 900 rank and file, and re- 
captured 500 of their men." 

Percy Greg, the distinguished historian, says con- 
cerning the situation before and after the battle of the 
Crater : 

"This severe check seems to have cured Grant of his 
taste for 'pounding,' 'pegging away,' or 'fighting it 
out on a line,' where he was sure to find the enemy 
strongly posted across his front, sure, moreover, to 
gain nothing that could not be more easily gained with- 
out serious fighting. During the autumn the Army of 
the Potomac fought with the spade rather than with 
the rifle. Its operations were slow, uninteresting, in- 
glorious, but all the more critical and decisive." 

I now invite your attention to the happening of these 
thrilling events as seen from the Confederate side. 
[ 25 ] 



General Lee, with his characteristic truthfulness and 
conservatism, makes this brief report of the happen- 
ings of the day: 

"Dunn's Hill, July 30, 1864, 3:25 P. M. 
"At 5 A. M. the enemy sprung a mine under one 
of the salients on General B. R. Johnson's front and 
opened his batteries upon our lines and the city of 
Petersburg. In the confusion caused by the explosion 
of the mine, he got possession of the salient. We have 
re-taken the salient and driven the enemy back to his 
lines with loss. 

"(Signed) R. E. Lee. 
"Hon. James A. Seddon, 

"Secretary of War." 

General Johnson's report will be found in the volume 
of the "War of the Rebellion" heretofore referred to on 
pages 787-793. 

From this report I beg to quote as follows: 

"About 4:55 o'clock on the morning of the 30th of 
July the enemy sprung a large mine under that portion 
of my line about 200 yards north of the Baxter Road, 
known as Pegram's salient. In this salient there were 
four guns of Captain Pegram's battery, and the 
Eighteenth and Twenty-second South Carolina Regi- 
ments, of Elliott's Brigade, occupied the parapets in 
the battery and adjacent to it. The Twenty-second 
South Carolina Regiment extended from a point some 
seventy yards to the right of the right gun to a point 

[ 2^> I 



beyond, but near to the left gun of the battery. The 
Eighteenth was posted on the left of the Twenty- 
second South Carolina Regiment. The Regiments of 
Elliott's brigade were distributed along the parapet 
from left to right as follows, viz. : The Twenty-sixth, 
Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-second and Twenty- 
third South Carolina Regiments. To strengthen 
Pegram's salient a second line or trench cavalier had 
been thrown up in its rear, commanding our front line 
and the enemy's works at a distance of from 150 to 
200 yards. Owing to the extension of our line, already 
explained, our troops occupied only the front line of 
our works. The mine, as has been since ascertained, 
was laid along two wings, extending to the right and 
left of the main gallery, nearly parallel to the interior 
crest of our work and beneath the foot of the slope of 
the banquette, or perhaps farther back, and completely 
destroyed a portion of the front or main line of our 
fortification and the right of the trench cavalier. The 
crater measures 135 feet in length, 97 feet in breadth 
and 30 feet deep. 

;!; :k ;■: :!: ^' !!= -'f Hs ^ 

"The astonishing effect of the explosion, bursting 
like a volcano at the feet of the men, and the up- 
heaving of an immense column of more than 100,000 
cubic feet of earth to fall around in heavy masses, 
wounding, crushing, or burying everything within its 
reach, prevented our men from moving promptly to 
the mouth of the crater, and occupying that part of 
the trench cavalier which was not destroyed, and over 
which the debris was scattered. Each brigade of this 
division had, however, been previously instructed as 
to the course to be pursued and the stubborn resis- 
[ 27 ] 



tance to be offered on each flank in case a breach was 
made in our lines, and the troops of Elliott's brigade 
not blown up or injured, maintained their ground with 
remarkable steadiness. When the torrents of dust 
had subsided, the enemy was found in the breach. 

"One gun of Davidson's battery, commanded by 
Lieutenant Otey, occupying a position on our main 
line on the right of the Baxter road — admirably 
adapted to throw canister-shot into the enemy's left 
flank, and with Wright's battery to sweep the ground 
in front of the breach with a destructive cross-fire — 
opened with a few rounds, and for some reason, not 
explained to me, became silent and was deserted by 
the officers and men. This battery was connected 
with my command on the night of the 28th of July 
by the extension of my line to the right, and did not 
comprise a part of the artillery properly serving with 
this division. The battery was, however, subsequently 
manned and officered by Wise's brigade, under in- 
structions from Colonel Goode, and did excellent 
service. 

* * * * :■: * .-): * * 

"Colonel Goode, commanding Wise's brigade, 
caused the 59th Virginia Regiment, under Captain 
Wood, to be formed in a ditch running perpendicular 
to the rear of the main work, and when the enemy 
attempted some five times to form in rear of the 
breach for the purpose of charging to the right, and 
after they had planted four colors on the line, by 
which the movement designated was to be made, this 
regiment under Captain Wood and the Twenty-sixth 
Virginia Regiment under Captain N. B. Street, with 
[• 2S 1 



the Twenty-second and Twenty-third South Carolina 

regiments and two guns of battery near 

the junction of the Baxter and Jerusalem plank roads, 
opened with a fire that drove them precipitately back 
to the crater. In this way the conflict was maintained 
from 5 till nearly lo A. M. with coolness and steadi- 
ness by determined men and officers on both flanks 
of the breach, and with a success worthy of much 
praise and with great damage to the enemy. 

::< * * * * * * * * 

"The Sixty-first North Carolina Regiment of 
Hoke's division, sent to re-inforce the troops engaged 
at the breach, arrived at the same time with Mahone's 
Division and proceeded to form in the ravine in the 
rear of Pegram's Sahent for the purpose of charging 
the enemy in the breach. General Mahone had placed 
one brigade in position, and was waiting for the sec- 
ond to come up, when the enemy advanced upon his 
line of battle. He met their advance by a charge, in 
which the Twenty-fifth and Forty-ninth North Caro- 
lina, and the Twenty-sixth and part of the Seven= 
teenth South Carolina Regiments, all under Colonel 
Smith, of Elliott's brigade, gallantly joined, moving 
upon the left of General Mahone's line. The enemy 
was driven from three-quarters of the trench cavalier 
and most of the works on the left of the crater, with 
moderate loss to our forces and heavy losses to the 
enemy, especially in prisoners. During this charge a 
large number of the enemy's troops, black and white, 
abandoned the breach and fled precipitately to their 
rear. Upon this fleeing mass, in full view from our 
works on the right of the Baxter road, the left regi- 
ments of Wise's brigade poured a raking fire at the 
[ 29 ] 



distance of from 150 to 500 yards, while the left gun 
of Davidson's battery (which Colonel Goode had 
manned with a company of the Thirty-fourth Virginia 
Regiment, under Captain Samuel D. Preston) dis- 
charged upon them several rounds of canister." 

It is proper here to state that Captain Preston was 
wounded, and Edward Bagby, aide-de-camp to Colonel 
Goode, commanding brigade, was killed while serving 
this gun, and that Captain A. F. Bagby, with Com- 
pany K, Thirty-fourth Virginia Regiment, then took 
charge of it and served it with fine effect until near the 
close of the action. 

It is a matter of which we may be justly proud that 
this report makes complimentary mention of two gal- 
lant sons of King and Queen, in addition to what is 
said concerning him whom we honor today. 

But coming still nearer to the young soldier's con- 
duct on that fateful day, we have the testimony of 
Colonel J. Thomas Goode, the distinguished and gal- 
lant Colonel of the Thirty-fourth Virginia, who com- 
manded Wise's brigade during the engagement, and 
who, to the delight of his old soldiers, still survives 
and is present today. In letter dated July 26, 1912, to 
your speaker, he says : 

"Your favor of the 23d was received by the last 
mail. I am greatly pleased to know that my most 
highly esteemed friend and comrade is to have a 
monument erected to his memory. If there ever was 
a man and soldier who deserved the honor, it was Ed- 
[ 30 ] 



ward Bagby. Am sorry I can't send you a copy of 
my report of the Crater fight. My full report was 
made to Major-General Bushrod Johnson and should 
have been forwarded to General Beauregard, but I 
think it never was. It was from my report that Gen- 
eral Johnson learned all he knew about my Aide, 
Edward Bagby. 

-!• A * * * * * 

"On the morning of the 30th of July, about 4:30 
o'clock, we were aroused from sleep by a most awful 
explosion. When we arose the earth trembled like a 
bowl of jelly so that we could scarcely keep our feet. 
The scene we beheld was awful. Men's bodies and 
limbs, cannon, gun, carriages, etc., high in the air. 
Realizing at once that the enemy's purpose was to 
pass his troops through the breach and rush on Peters- 
burg, I withdrew the Fifty-ninth Regiment of my 
command, Captain Henry Wood commanding, and 
placed it in a covered way or ditch running perpen- 
dicular to the line of works with orders to cut down 
any of the enemy attempting to form in rear of crater. 
This regiment checked repeated attempts. In a few 
minutes after the explosion one of my officers reported 
to me that a battery in our lines had been deserted by 
the artillerists and that there were not men to work 
the guns. I immediately withdrew Preston's company, 
"C," Thirty-fourth Virginia Infantry, trained artiller- 
ists, from its place in line and put it in charge of the 
battery. I left Edward Bagby, my Aide, with the bat- 
tery with orders to report to me if anything went 
wrong. And I went to the Twenty-sixth Regiment on 
the extreme left next to the Crater, where I was sure 
the most strenuous effort would be made to drive us 
[ 31 ] 



out, and widen the breach so as to rush in their whole 
force, which they estimated at about sixty thousand. 

* * :i: * sH * * * * 

"About nine o'clock in the morning my Orderly 
came and reported to me that Edward Bagby had been 
killed. Captain Preston mortally wounded, and the 
company terribly cut to pieces. I hurried back to the 
company and found it as reported. I then had it 
relieved by Captain Bagby's company, "K," which 
fought with great gallantry and dire loss to the 
enemy." 

Now let some of his comrades speak. Samuel P. 
Ryland, Jr., the nearest and dearest friend of my boy- 
hood and through whom your speaker heard of Ed- 
ward's end, says: 

"The explosion at the Crater took place about sun- 
rise one morning when all nature seemed to have been 
at peace, and when not a gun was being fired from 
either side. I remember the occasion perfectly. I was 
pouring water from a canteen into the hands of 
Colonel Goode, who was washing his face (not two 
hundred yards distant from the Crater), and saw the 
men, and cannon, and debris of all kinds which was 
blown up into the air apparently from thirty to forty 
feet. I remember distinctly one eight-inch gun was 
almost thrown over to the enemy's lines, a distance 
of some fifty or seventy-five yards. 

"After this explosion took place, the Federal troops 

opened a broadside into our breastworks from one 

end of the line to the other. This line was several 

miles long and extended almost from the Weldon 

[ 33 1 



Railroad to the river. You can imagine the frightful 
confusion, brought on by the incessant firing, which 
lasted pretty much all day, and a great many of our 
men were wounded and killed. 

"As I remember, several hours after the explosion, 
I was passing up the line near the position occupied 
by the Otey Battery. (It seems that the men in this 
battery had been driven off, and there was no one 
using their guns at the time.) When I passed I saw 
Edward Bagby working one of these guns, and he 
called to me to come to his help. I think there were 
four guns in this battery, and my recollection is that 
we loaded one of these guns and fired it, until finally 
Ned Bagby was shot in the head with a minie-ball 
from the enemy and was instantly killed. I remember 
distinctly that I left the position and went back to 
Colonel Goode and reported that Ned Bagby had been 
killed while firing one of these guns into the Crater. 
My attention was called at the time to his coolness 
and bravery in firing this gun. There never was a 
braver man in the war than he. After this incident 
my recollection is that Company *C' of our Regiment 
took charge of the battery, when many of their men 
were wounded and killed. Afterwards this company 
was withdrawn from the battery, and Company "K" 
(my old company) was put in charge and remained in 
charge the rest of that day. They did brave and gal- 
lant fighting." 

And here is the testimony of another admiring com- 
rade, Tom Kelly: 

"Ned had been detached from his company on 
special service, but on the morning of the Crater fight, 
[ 33 ] 



after the breach had been made by the explosion, and 
the Yankees had poured through in great numbers, 
our nearest battery was comparatively deserted, with 
but few to man the guns;" he said "just at this time 
Ned appeared on the scene, took in the situation 
quickly, volunteered his services and was aiming a 
gun when a shell from the enemy exploded nearby and 
a fragment tore away a part of his head, killing him 
instantly." 

And will you excuse your speaker please for enter- 
ing the sacred precincts of two responsive hearts, then 
as now, one in hope, one in happiness and one in sor= 
row? Writing from camp on August 6, 1864, to Ed- 
ward's niece, the girl then of seventeen summers, to 
whom he had plighted his faith unto death, he said : 

"I was delighted to receive your letter written the 
28th ulto., but by the same mail that brought your 
letter, one came from Sam Ryland with the sad tidings 
that Ned Bagby — the noble and brave — was no more. 
It seems that our best and bravest men are taken — 
mysterious indeed are the ways of Providence. I 
know not where to begin to speak of the good quali- 
ties of such a boy as Ned. Oh! that I could be like 
him. Why should we grieve for him? He is now 
happy, where no war or bloodshed comes. Yes, he is 
happy with his God, whom he served faithfully. Pre- 
cious indeed should our liberty be, purchased by the 
blood of men like Ned Bagby. Farewell, dear Ned. 
Your face may be seen no more, but long will you live 
in our hearts. Give my love to cousin Sue and tell 
her how much I sympathize with her. O cruel war! 
When will thy horrors cease?" 

[ ^^ J 



Thus in broken sentences were recorded the same 

experiences of a distressed and perturbed heart that 

Tennyson felt when he bade adieu to the friend of his 

youth : 

"But thou and I have shaken hands, 
Till growing winters lay me low; 
My paths are in the fields I know, 
And thine, in undiscovered lands." 

This sketch of Edward's Hfe and character would 
be incomplete were it not recorded that in all and be- 
fore all he was a devoted and enthusiastic Christian. 
At the early age of twelve years he made a profession 
of faith in Christ as his Saviour and was baptized into 
the fellowship and became a member of Bruington 
Church. There his father, mother, brothers, sisters, 
all, were devoted and active members ; and his brother, 
Dr. Richard Hugh Bagby, was the pastor— a striking 
and beautiful example, not uncommon, be it said, in 
this good old county of a large and influential family 
united in one hope, one faith, one baptism. 

Victory perched on the banner of the Confederacy 
at the battle of the Crater, but it poorly recompensed 
the losses sustained. It is true of that victory as the 
Duke of Wellingon said was true of England's tri- 
umph at the battle of Waterloo, "Nothing except a 
battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won." 

As soon as the death of Edward was known, his 
brother, Dr. Richard Hugh Bagby, who was in Rich- 
mond, returning from Petersburg, where he had been 
[ 35 ] 



to visit and help with much needed provisions his son 
John and his two brothers, John Robert (Major Bagby, 
who was in a hospital at the time) and Edward, hast- 
ened back to Petersburg to get the body of his young- 
est and much beloved brother and carry it to the 
ancestral home. This sad mission he performed with 
all the faithfulness and tenderness that a loving 
brother could bestow. 

The death of Edward saddened the whole com- 
munity, but upon his stricken parents it fell most 
heavily, though they bore it bravely. I remember that 
it was written me that the aged mother, when she 
heard the sad news in all of its details, said to sympa- 
thizing friends: "Well, my boy, my only boy, is 
gone, but I had rather that it be so than that he had 
failed to do his duty." But another way of expressing 
the noble sentiment of Lee in his famous phrase: 
"There is a true glory and a true honor, the glory of 
duty done, the honor of integrity of principle." 

A noble sentiment! In its last analysis it means 
unselfishness. That it is better to give than to re- 
ceive. It is the Christly spirit. That he who would 
be greatest would be servant of all. 

Monuments are but little use unless they teach 
lessons and point morals. To the foot of this monu- 
ment I would have the sons and daughters of this 
dear old county come and reverently learn the lesson 
that Edward Bagby is honored because he placed 
duty above self, honor above ease, patriotism above 
[ =36 ] 



life. If it should seem to any of them a riddle, as it 
did to me, when I stood at Appomattox in the shadow 
of the appalling defeat of the cause of the South, that 
God should have permitted that cause to fail to which 
Edward devoted his life, let them learn that the issue 
of that conflict was decreed by the unerring wisdom 
of Him who directs the affairs of nations as well as 
men. For me, the riddle has long ago been solved. 
Observation has taught me that there are many ex- 
periences worse than death, and my faith has taught 
me to believe and feel that we have already come, and 
shall more abundantly come into a higher, nobler and 
better civilization than could ever have been devel- 
oped by the perpetuation of human slavery. 

A few months after the cause of the Confederacy 
was doomed, in this historic temple dedicated to God 
a great public meeting was held (known as the Young 
Men's Meeting) under the leadership of the three 
Bagbys (brothers of Edward), Broaddus, Baynum, 
Garlick, Diggs, Land and others, ministers of the gos- 
pel from this and adjoining counties. Rev. Jeremiah 
B. Jeter, D.D., of Richmond, the great orator and 
leader of public sentiment, was brought to be the chief 
speaker. As the basis of his great address, he took 
for his text the passage, "It is good for a man that he 
bear the yoke in his youth." It was the meeting of a 
great occasion, a great theme and a great man. The 
result was magical. Animosities were allayed, new 
hope was inspired, weakened faith was strengthened, 
[ 37 ] 



noble resolves were made. I do not remember what 
hymn was sung at the close of the sermon, but noth- 
ing would have been so appropriate as : 

"The morning light is breaking, 
The darkness disappears." 

And, in conclusion, may I hope that the influences 
of this occasion may yield only half of that? Since 
that eventful day in which I caught new hope, it has 
seemed to me 

"I hear at times a sentinel, 
Who moves about from place to place; 
And whispers to the world of space, 
In the deep night, that 'all is well.' " 



A male quartette rendered impressively, "We Shall 
Meet Beyond the River." 

The Chairman: In behalf of us all I wish to thank 
Mr. Pollard for the painstaking-care and the work 
which has enabled him to give us this interesting, in- 
forming and valuable address. 

One of the most gratifying things connected with 
this occasion is the presence of Edward Bagby's com- 
mander and close friend. Captain Alexander F. Bagby. 
He has prepared for us a paper, which, in view of his 
indisposition, will be read by his son. Rev. Edward 
B. Bagby, of Baltimore. 

L 38 J 



mrixtii ol Capt. ^lex. Jf. ?5agb|) 

Mr. Chairman, Comrades and Friends : 

Of the many thousands who wore the grey, with- 
out stars or bars, none is worthier than the one in 
whose honor we have met today — the brave and 
chivalrous Edward Bagby. It was my good fortune 
to know him all his life. Living on adjoining farms, 
attending the same school, we were closely allied as 
boys, and, without hesitation, I would say he pos- 
sessed none of the common vices of boyhood. If he 
ever uttered an oath, used tobacco, or made a vulgar 
allusion, I cannot recall it. His entire life was re- 
markable for sobriety, chastity, intelligence, refine- 
ment and a high sense of honor, seldom manifested in 
a boy of his age. He had a keen sense of humor and 
was fond of games, but would never tolerate unfair- 
ness and would withdraw from any game that did 
not come up to that code of honor which he exacted 
from all. This was not done in a spirit of anger, but 
was as gentle as it was firm, and no one could mistake 
his regard for truth and right. His playmates looked 
to him for leadership and never seemed envious of his 
superior gifts. He was the most popular boy in 
school. None knew him but to love him, none named 
him but to praise. His judgment seemed remarkable 
for a boy, and, as his constant companion, I never 
hesitated to call on him for advice, although he was 
my junior by about a year, 

[ 39 ] 



Will you pardon a personal allusion? When about 
twenty years old I became possessed with the idea 
that it was time I was looking for a girl to love and 
one to love me. We talked the matter over frequently 
much to my delight, and when I had made my choice 
he seemed to think well of it. After a few months I 
told him I had decided I was too young to embark 
in such a serious venture, and that I would start for 
Texas in a few weeks, but before going I would like to 
give my girl a ring with some appropriate motto, and 
wished him to suggest one. After much deliberation 
we decided as I was going so far away, not knowing 
when I would return, and the fickleness of girls as 
well as inconstancy of boys, that something pertain- 
ing to absence and its test would be appropriate, and 
that it would sound better if expressed in Latin, and 
so we made the inscription, "Absentia testatur." Ab- 
sence tested the faithfulness of the fair one and did 
not find her wanting; and when she stood at the altar 
as my bride, it was my friend and best man, Edward 
Bagby, who helped adjust the ring, and no one was 
happier in my happiness than he. I rejoice that the 
ring is in this house today, and so is the one who 
wore it, and for fifty years has been to me all that I 
hoped that day; and the sweet sunshine of her pres- 
ence grows brighter as the day of life declines and we 
come together to the end of the journey. 

Edward Bagby's business talents seemed to me ex- 
ceptional. In the early days of the Confederacy a 

L ■^"' J 



young man who possessed several thousand dollars 
asked him his advice as to investing it. "Exchange it 
for gold," he advised. When in a short time gold 
went to fabulous prices the young man was sorry he 
had not acted upon his wise counsel. His success in 
little speculations and business enterprises won for 
him the title "lucky ;" but those who knew him under- 
stood it was his good sense and industry, and prophe= 
sied for him a career of wide and distinguished use- 
fulness. 

Early in the spring of 1861 Edward left Columbian 
College at Washington, D. C, feeling confident that 
his native State would at no distant day need his 
services in defense of what he believed was her just 
rights. He soon connected himself with what was 
known as the King and Queen Artillery, a company 
organized by his brother, J. R. Bagby, and others. 
He went with this company to Gloucester Point and 
was not there long before his reputation for accuracy, 
intelligence and courtesy reached General J. Bankhead 
Magruder, under whom we were serving, and an order 
was issued to him to report on the Yorktown side for 
clerical duty. When Yorktown was evacuated, my 
impression is that he was attached to General Rhodes' 
staff as aide-de-camp and served with him for quite a 
time in his Maryland and other campaigns. How- 
ever, when our ranks became greatly depleted, the 
detached men were ordered back to their respective 
companies, Edward's efficiency was so notable that 
[ 41 J 



he was constantly alternating between some head- 
quarters and his own company. 

He was with General Rhodes at the battle of Seven 
Pines, but rejoined the company while we were 
around Charleston, S. C, and remained with us for 
some time. We were then serving as infantry in 
Wise's Brigade, Company K, Thirty-fourth Virginia 
Infantry. I well remember the first time I saw him 
under fire at one of the battles of Drewry's Bluff, near 
the Howlett House, and was impressed with his cool- 
ness and daring. He really seemed to enjoy a fight. 

After this we were under almost constant fire day 
and night, and he always maintained the same fearless 
courage, no doubt prompted by a sense of duty. It 
was not long before another order came calling him 
to Brigade Headquarters as aide-de-camp to Colonel 
J. Thomas Goode, commanding Wise's brigade. 

Much has been told and written about the Crater 
battle and as much more might be said and still the 
half not told. I shall not attempt a description of the 
horrors of that bloody conflict. 

The effect of the explosion was demoralizing, but 
like true Southern soldiers, both men and officials were 
not long in rallying. We remembered the orders pre- 
viously given in case the explosion should occur, to 
close in toward the breach which we expected to be 
made by the enemy. The position of the company at 
the time of the explosion was about five hundred yards 
distant from the Crater. In closing up to the breach, 
[ 42 ] 



our line was still more reduced and close to the 
enemy. The situation was grave, but a spirit of in- 
spiration seemed to take possession of our men and 
with an air of confidence in their ability to cope with 
a greatly superior foe, our own forces, soon recovered 
from the shock, moved slowly but surely forward. 

The old Twenty-sixth Virginia Infantry under Cap- 
tain N. B. Street, with their usual courage and daring 
were with others in the covered ways running at right 
angles with our works watching every attempt of the 
enemy at formation, thereby preventing the slightest 
advance. The enemy were indeed in a precarious 
plight, unable either to advance or retreat, going into 
a trap made by themselves. This state of affairs lasted 
for quite a time, but we held the key to the situation 
and could afford to wait. This situation certainly ex- 
isted as early as 5 :40 A. M., as shown by a note from 
General Meade to General Burnside, see records. Vol. 
XL, page 140. General Burnside replies at 7:20, "I am 
doing all I can to push the troops forward and if 
possible we will carry the crest (beyond the Crater). 
It is hard work, but we hope to accomplish it." (See 
page 142.) Our interest in the battle centers in the 
battery which was deserted early in the day. Con- 
cerning this battery. General Johnson says, "One gun 
of Davidson's battery, commanded by Lieutenant 
Otey, occupying a position on our main line on the 
right of the Baxter road, admirably adapted to throw 
canister shot into the enemy's left flank, opened with 
[ 43 ,] 



a few rounds and for some reason not explained to 
me, became silent and was deserted by the officials 
and men. The battery was, however, subsequently 
manned and officered by Wise's Brigade under instruc= 
tions from Colonel Goode and did excellent service." 
(Page 789, War Records.) 

General Johnson further adds in same report (page 
792), "It is proper here to state that Captain Preston 
was wounded and Edward Bagby, aide-de-camp to 
Colonel Goode, commanding brigade, was killed while 
serving this gun and that Company K, Thirty-fourth 
Virginia Regiment then took charge of it and served it 
with fine effect until near the close of the action." 

The above fully confirms Colonel Goode who, I am 
happy to say, is still living, in saying of Captain Pres- 
ton, "That he and his men at the battery fought most 
gallantly until he was desperately wounded in the 
head, his skull broken by a fragment of shell. The 
fact was reported to me on the left of our line nearest 
the Crater. I went up to the battery and found Captain 
Preston unconscious and his company (C) badly cut 
up. Then I directed that your company (K) be de- 
tailed to relieve Captain Preston's. Then I passed to 
the extreme left, leaving my aide-de-camp, Edward 
Bagby, at the battery to report to me the progress of 
the work. Poor, brave, gallant fellow, he died there, 
one of the bravest and best men of the war." 

I find in the "Confederate Veteran" of April, 191 1, a 
most excellent article by Lieutenant W. P. Robinson, 
[ ^i I 



of Danville, Va., who commanded a section of a bat- 
tery on our right in the battle of the Crater, in which 
he gives an account of the death of Edward Bagby 
and speaks of him as "Captain Edward Bagby, aide-de- 
camp to Colonel Goode." 

From the position I found his body, coupled with 
the meager evidence I could get and a knowledge of 
his true Spartan courage, I have always believed he 
had at one time worked that gun by himself, realizing 
its importance and his inability to get help. This be- 
lief is confirmed by the testimony of Samuel P. Ry- 
land, a lad of fifteen years, and another member of 
Company K's brave privates who was acting as courier 
that day for Colonel Goode. He says, "I was passing 
the battery — Ned Bagby was loading the gun; he 
called to me to come and help him. I went and we 
loaded and fired that gun; I do not remember how 
many times." Like "Casabianca" of old, he held his 
post of duty "whence all others had fled, but the 
noblest thing that perished there was that young and 
faithful heart." When the battle had been raging for 
several hours, I received an order from Colonel Goode 
to go to Davidson's battery and gather up all the 
artillery men I could and work the guns. I went and 
all the artillery men I could find was one little fellow 
back in a magazine, and when ordered out, quickly 
and promptly replied that his business was to hand 
out the ammunition and would supply all I needed, but 
[ 45 ] 



could not leave his post of duty. I saw his "point" was 
well taken, so did not discuss the matter. 

It was here under the breach of one of the guns I 
found the gasping form of my cousin, Edward Bagby, 
acting aide-de-camp to Colonel Goode, and was told by 
some one that he had been killed while working that 
gun, and others had also been killed or wounded. I 
raised his head and used his haversack as a pillow and 
hastened to report to Colonel Goode that I could find 
no artillery men. He then ordered me to take my 
company, impressing upon me the importance of the 
position. I soon found them where I had left them 
in line of battle and told them we had been ordered to 
a work of great danger, but I expected every man to 
do his full duty and without hesitation. They, led by 
that brave and chivalrous T. Newton Walker, spoke 
up and said, "Captain, we will follow where you lead." 
We double quicked to the battery. The first thing 
done was to care for the body of our comrade who 
had fallen at his post of duty. He was sent to Peters- 
burg to the home of my brother Richard and prepared 
for transportation to Richmond next morning, where 
the body was met by his brother, Richard Hugh 
Bagby, who had been with us the day before on one 
of his missions of mercy, bringing us letters, provi- 
sions, etc., from our dear ones at home. The men were 
not long in getting to work and that with a seeming 
desire to avenge the death of our fallen comrade. With 
a picked crew of six men who cautiously worked that 
[ 16 ] 



one gun and the rest of the company keeping up al- 
most a constant infantry fire to protect our cannoneers 
from the enemy's sharpshooters, we held the posi- 
tion and did the work, as General Johnson says, "with 
fine effect." 

One thing more and my imperfect tribute to this 
noble hero will end. The question has frequently been 
asked me if Edward Bagby was engaged to be mar- 
ried. My impression is that he was. A letter came 
to him after his death from the young lady and re- 
turned to her unopened. The last time he talked to 
me about the young lady was in South Carolina in 
the early part of 1864, and then he led me to this im- 
pression. Poor girl, she died shortly after the war 
ended brokenhearted, and I doubt that anyone suf- 
fered more than she, but someone has appropriately 
said — 

"Suffering is not in vain, it's sacrificial, 
That which was hidden to the old world, or guessed, 
Was revealed by the Cross of Calvary. 
Suffering is not for nothing, it is accounted for. 
It is registered and it wins blessings; 
One soweth and another reapeth, 
But both shall rejoice at the Harvest Day." 

Why was this life, so rich in promise, thus early cut 
off? We cannot answer, but in Christian faith believe 
that death is not the end. Edward Bagby's place is 
vacant in the old company, but he answers the roll 
call up yonder. He lays down the weapons of carnal 
warfare, but new weapons are in his hands and in 
[ 47 ] 



wider spheres he fights against the principalities and 
powers of darkness. 

The Chairman: We are particularly fortunate in 
having with us Colonel Goode, who was in charge of 
Wise's Brigade the day the battle of the Crater was 
fought. We are glad to see you, Colonel. You are 
among your own people, and, if you consent to make 
some remarks, we shall be pleased to hear from you. 

Colonel Goode here gave an interesting description 
of the battle in which he and his men played so im- 
portant a part, and paid a glowing tribute to the 
fidelity of Edward Bagby, his aide. 

The Chairman : The name of a war-time Haynes 
suggests "a first-class fighting man." Captain William 
T. Haynes is present and we shall be glad to hear from 
him. 

Captain Haynes responded in a brief but eloquent 
address. 

The Chairman : In behalf of the general and local 
committees having charge of its erection, in behalf of 
the Bagby family, and in behalf of all those who have 
contributed to the fund, I now present this memorial 
to the care and keeping of this church and of this 
community. 

Hon. Claggett B. Jones, Judge of the Thirteenth 
Virginia Circuit, appropriately responded on behalf of 
the community and of the church in whose burying- 
ground the monument had been erected, as follows: 
[ 48 ] 



^blire£;2; of ^on. Claggett IB. 3ontsi 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

As you already know, we come today, my friends, 
to honor the memory of a fallen hero, and in honoring 
his memory, we honor the cause in which he fell, and 
which is, or should be, dear to every Southern heart. 
After the lapse of nearly fifty years, the principles for 
which he fought and gave up his life are fast being 
recognized as just and right over the whole civilized 
world. As the conflict of arms, the bitterness of the 
strife, the terrible carnage, the humiliation of defeat 
after defeat by a force far inferior, in point of num- 
bers, have been softened by time, the great healer, the 
more intelligent, broad and fairminded of our North- 
em fellow citizens, even are beginning to acknowledge 
the South's right of secession. As in the early dawn — 
after the loneliness and darkness of the night — the 
gray precedes the pink, the pink precedes the crimson, 
the crimson precedes and ushers in the mighty King 
and light of day — so let us hope that the darkness and 
gloom of the night of prejudice and injustice has gone, 
that the dawn is breaking, that the gray and pink 
and the crimson have already appeared and that ere 
long the full light of the truth and of the justice of 
the cause for which our heroes suffered, bled and 
died may break in all its force and power upon the 
minds of all men. 

On the morning of the 30th day of July, 1864, the 
[ 49 ] 



death roll in Company K, Thirty-fourth Virginia In- 
fantry, was again called, and the shrouded, who next? 
was again answered. 

Shot and shell had snatched another victim from 
their midst, and the gallant Edward Bagby was no 
more. He yielded up his young life bravely — gloriously 
upon the field of battle. 

"One moment on the battle's edge he stood, 
Hope's halo like a helmet round his hair. 
The next beheld him dabbled in his blood, 
Prostrate in death, and yet in death how fair; 
E'en thus he passed through the red gate of strife 
From earthly crowns and palms to an immortal life." 

We come today to honor his memory and do rever- 
ence to his life and character. When your children 
ask their fathers, in time to come, saying, "What mean 
ye by this stone?" then ye shall answer them, "Behold 
this stone shall be a witness unto you" of the honor, 
the bravery, the valor, the heroism, the patriotism, the 
character of the man and those like him, whose name 
it bears. It means "that there are deeds which should 
not pass away, and names that must not wither." It 
means that "they never fail who die in a great cause." 

Mr. Chairman, it gives me great pleasure, on behalf 
of this church, of which he was a consistent and loyal 
member, on behalf of the people of this community, 
and on behalf of this, his native county, to accept this 
monument to the memory of this, her distinguished 
and loyal son. We will care for it, we will point to it 
[ 50 ] 



with pleasure and pride as it stands in yonder lot a 
mute witness to high character and noble deeds. 

Most of his friends and fellow patriots have "crossed 
over the river" and joined him "under the shade of the 
trees." A few of them are left, but one by one they 
are constantly leaving us and joining the great army 
on the other side. Remembering their hardships, their 
privations, their toils, their bravery, their fortitude, 
their chivalry — the cause for which they so willingly 
risked and gave up their lives — let us reverence their 
memories and do honor to their lives. It was a genera= 
tion the like of which the world had never seen before 
and most likely will never see again. 

"They fell devoted, but undying; 
The very gale, their names seemed sighing. 
Their spirits wrapt the dusky mountain; 
Their memory sparkled over the fountain: 
The meanest rill, the mightiest river, 
Roll'd mingling with their fame forever." 

Mr. Chairman, we would draw some inspiration 
from this occasion to help us in the battles of life. 
Let us remember always that yet, but a little longer, 
we all, one by one, must follow our deceased hero to 
the silent Tabernacle of the dead, and can only live 
perpetually in the memory of our fellowmen by in- 
spiring a sincere belief in our honesty of purpose, 
kindness of heart and justice of thought which was 
so characteristic of him. 

May we remember that the logical mind, the elo- 

[ 51 ] 



quent voice, the magnetic personality of all of us, soon, 
aye sooner, than we are willing to believe, must sink 
to rest as we sleep the sleep preliminary to our ad- 
mission to the Great Court of final resort above, not 
to plead, I hope, but to be rewarded, as I reverently 
trust, for the good deeds done, the kind words spoken 
and the life we have lived while prosecuting our vari- 
ous avocations here below. 

The Chairman: The exercises will be concluded at 
the cemetery, where the prayer of dedication will be 
made by Rev. Dr. Alfred Bagby, of Richmond, to be 
followed by the singing of the hymn, "Shall We 
Gather at the River?" 

After the prayer and the song, the benediction was 
pronounced by the Rev. James Long. 



[ '^2 ] 



The inscription upon the substantial granite monu- 
ment is as follows: 



EDWARD BAGBY 
Adj. 34th Va. A. N. V. 
Killed at Petersburg July 30th, 1864 
Strong of purpose, pure of soul, an earnest Chris- 
tian, he volunteered for a perilous service and fell 
at his post. 

On the reverse side the parents' names are thu? 
memorialized : 

JOHN BAGBY 

Christian merchant, patriotic citizen, friend of 

education. 

HIS NOBLE WIVES 

ELIZABETH COURTNEY 

ELIZABETH LUMPKIN 



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LIBRfiRY OF CONGRESS 



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